Midnight Croakers
Midnight Croakers (Damnosas limo) are frog-like creatures that croak at night. They evolved from the Eastern American Toad. As their name implies, these animals are nocturnal. Physical Traits and Skills Midnight Croakers can detect body heat using a special lens in their eyes. They will make loud bellow-like croaking sounds when prey is spotted, making them extremely easy to spot. But that's the plan that these pack hunters have created. One will alert the prey of the Midnight Croakers' presence and the prey will run the other way, only to be ambushed by the rest of the pack, essentially making the prey come to them. This makes Midnight Croakers expert tacticians. As they evolved from toad to croaker, their bodies became less plump and more slender, and they began to place more emphasis on pouncing long distances, rather than relying on their tongues, which are now only used for selecting willing mates, as the tongues lack the stickiness they were once known for. This pouncing, however, is specifically for smaller prey that a lone Midnight Croaker can kill on its own. Small, sharp teeth are used to quickly chew through meat and chitin. The fastest time it took for a whole pack of Midnight Croakers to eat a dead Triangular-headed Salamander was thirteen minutes, a fantastic record for amphibians. Their forelegs are used for stalking prey, and their hind legs still retain their length, webbed feet and strength. According to a recent discovery, one species has evolved vestigal wing-like appendages for no apperant reason. Scientists are still trying to validate these claims. The other strange thing is that they have numerous, chitonous spines on their legs and back, the Triangular-headed Salamander can chew off these spines with its small but sharp teeth. Diet The Triangular-headed salamander, while normally one to occasionally prey on a lone Midnight Croaker, will instead be a victim of the Midnight Croakers. In fact, the Triangular-headed salamander is usually what they prey on the most, as Triangular-headed salamanders tend to be very slow on land, where they are most vulnerable. Midnight Croakers also eat insects, arachnids, and other small animals, such as mice. They are also cannibalistic; any males or females that are sterile, injured, or too old to hunt will become a meal for the rest of the pack. Threats Despite having the nickname "Land Piranhas", they have many predators who feast upon them. As mentioned above, Triangular-headed salamanders will occasionally eat a lone Midnight Croaker, especially if it is injured or old. Ape Bears are also ones to prey on Midnight Croakers, with a huge group of Midnight Croakers usually being eaten in a single meal. Distribution Midnight Croakers are primarily native to The Hopeful Lands. However, many subspecies reside elsewhere, thought they are few and far between by comparison, as many other predators are beginning to fill their usual niche. Reproduction One lone leader can mate with up to thirteen males or females per mating season, though the leader will mate with one mate at a time. The "Alpha-Mate" is the mate that is favored above the others, and has more control over the pack, essentially becoming the leader's personal aide. When the alpha-mate is chosen, it is impregnated and lays eggs of up to six or seven babies in ponds and streams. If either the alpha-mate or leader dies, the surviving mate will find a temporary replacement and if the survivor was the alpha-mate, then the alpha-mate becomes the new leader. Trivia *Credit for the idea goes to Lord of the Allosaurs. Category:The hopeful lands Category:Amphibians